While your air conditioning unit is created to withstand the elements, including rain and storm damage, occasionally you need to call your air conditioning repair technician to inspect likely damage. If your air conditioner sits in standing water, due to a torrential downpour or other unexpected issues, it can cause terrible damage to the moving parts and electrical pieces. The water usually has to reach about a foot in depth to affect your air conditioner, but if there has been any flooding whatsoever, call Stevenson Service Experts for a safety inspection as soon as possible.
If intense rainfall or flooding caused your air conditioner to sit in standing water, there are a handful of things we recommend doing to avoid further damage or dangerous conditions:
- Turn off all the electrical switches for your air conditioning system. If you are not comfortable turning off your switches, you can call your air conditioning repair company to help guide you through the process.
- Allow your AC system to dry out. Remove any standing water if possible and cautiously clear any debris from the immediate area.
- Leave your AC system off until a professional air conditioner inspection has been done. Call Stevenson Service Experts and ensure your equipment will operate safely and effectively with a full air conditioner safety inspection.
CAUTION: Do not cover your outdoor HVAC systems with a tarp. This could actually cause more problems, including not allowing the system to air out entirely and remove moisture, potentially causing rust or other damage.
In addition to April showers, spring escorts in hail storms, too. Each year thousands of commercial and residential air conditioning systems are in need of repair because of hail. While you can typically see obvious damage from the outside, you may not realize that the damage inside the air conditioner may be causing restricted air flow, hindering the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the air conditioning system more easily, by combing the fins or replacing the coil, but an insurance company’s claim breakdown showed that around 10% of air conditioners damaged by hail had to be fully replaced.
Intense winds tend to accompany storms and while your AC system probably won’t get wind damage, other items picked up by the wind, like tree branches, grills, or unattached enclosures, can be thrown, damaging your air conditioner.
For a full air conditioner inspection and safety check, call Stevenson Service Experts today and we’ll make sure your AC system is running safely and efficiently. Help keep your home safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your home is under a serious storm warning.